Dry-battery cell.



PATENTED AUG..14, 1906.

A. E. POST DRY BATTERY CELL. A P IOATIOI FILED Mn 17, 1905.

To all whom it may concern.

. Massachusetts,

" UNITE STATES PATENT; OFFICE. I

Be it known that I, ANGELICA citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of- Suffolk and State of have invented an Improvement-in Dry-P attery Cells, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like whenever called upon foruse. covered that by ents in an absolutely dry condition and pack- 3? letters on the parts, As is well known, one 'great disadvantage in the practical employmentof so-called dry batteries is their rapid deterioration, as the compounded chemicals keep constantly acting more or less upon each other. It makes little difference how or where a dry battery is kept it will inevitably deteriorate if kept long, so thatwh'en it is finally called into use it will .be found to be weak orentirely exhausted.

'My invention has for its object the provision of a battery which can be kept indefidrayvlngs representing like nitely without deterioration, so that it will make no difference how long the battery may have been standing upon the shelves or in the be fresh and fully active I have disthe ingredi- 1 store-room it will compounding ing them in the battery-cell in such a manner that they. maintain their dry condition until required for use they will not deteriorate. As, however, moisture. is essential to their operation, Iprovide means for introducing .moisture to a proper amount into the cells when it is desired to use'sthem.

The constructional details, operation, and further advantages of my invention will be pointed out in thecourse of the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which I have illustrated one embodiment of my invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a central vertical sectional view of a cell constructed according to my invention, and Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof.

It will be understood that my invention in its more general features is applicable to any usual or preferred form or type of so-called -battery cell'. Ihave herein illustrated the same in' connection with a zinc-cup celI. In preparing my cell 1 first place m the bottom of the zinc-cup or holder 0 a bottom Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed May 17, 1905. Serial No.

. layer or disk a of parafiined E. Posr, a

salts in a drythe interior.

Patented .Aug. 14,1906.

paper or' equivalent dry insulator. On this disk I tightly force a tube or lining wall thick absorbent material of the nature of heavy blotting-paper; carbon electrode a axially, as shown, and pack around it the filling a of chemicals in an absolutely dry state. It will be understood that these chemicals may be varied considera of relatively Then I stand a usual ably by. those skilled in the art. I have obtained'the, most permanent and advantageous results by emplo ing manganese di. oxid, graphite, chlorid o niac, the first-menti0ned quantity oi all the others together, the remaining three being in quantities, with the dominating.

gra hite sli htl' re- Having thor dughly niixed t powdered condition, I '-press them in tightly around the electrode a? and then tightly pack them with a closing or disk a of absorbent material similarto the wall a On this I pour or pack. a, more or less impervious guard or closing layer a, 3

terminating considerably short of thatop of the cell, so as to leave an open space ilfor a purpose presently to be described.-. The layer a may consist ofa bituminous compound or ofa porcelain-like substance or cement or paraffined paperwork, clay, pulp, or the like. Through this top a, I form one or more holes a, four thereof being herein indicated. These holes'are for the'free passage of water, which unites with approximately equal 'zinc, and'salammo- I slightly in excess in.

ese

layer or paper'- cover 'ng the contained ingredients to energize them whenever it is desired to, use the cells. On the upper end of the carbon a 'I drive a copper cap a", v (in the case of small cells,) to which a ter inal wire may be soldered,'(it being understood that in large bipIIing-post is used.)

The absorbent lining a a not only serves to insulate the chemicals from the zinc electrode as long as the cell remains inactive, but

serves the more important function of maintaining the-chemicals: absolutely dry, absorbing any moisture which might creep down the-sides This absorbent material acts to absorb any moisture that might be duced b efiectua ly shields the chemicals from extraneous moisture. The covering a seals the PTO-1' or within the chemicals and it also cells the usual I00 or tend to percolate toward joints and practically hermetically seals the entire cell, excepting for the holes a which, however, terminate not ata joint, but flat against an interior portion of the layer a so that even if any moisture from the atmosphere should penetrate through said holes it is simply absorbed and dissipated in the upper side of said layer a and does not reach the dry compound within.

I have found after long and varied experiment that a cell constructed as above described will maintain its strength practically without limit and when called upon for use it will have its original freshness and activity and the same. voltage as if just made, whereas a cell built up in. the ordinary manner would long since have become entirely exhausted and useless by age.

\Vheu it is desired to use one of my cells, all that is necessary to do is to pour the open space a full of water, which at once freely enters through the holes a and passes through the blotting-paper or other porous substance a and properly saturates the contained chemicals As it does so it also saturates the absorbent wall a 'and causes the contained electrolyte to be absorbed thereby,

rendering the cell in proper condition to operate when the zinc exterior aand the carbon aare externally connected in circuit.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that my invention has a wide range of usefulness in dry-battery construction, as, with slight changes, it is readily adaptable to the various well-known forms of dry-battery cells. It is useful in connection with all kinds of dry-batterywork, from the small pocket-lamps to the large motor-car outfits,

and the liquid-receiving apertures will be placed accordingly, suiting the convenience of the particular. shape or style of the outfit.

Instead of filling the cell with the con;-

pound stated a 'portion of the ingredients may be placed therein, and the salts, for in-' stance, constituting the electrolyte may be held in liquid form in a bottle or other separate inclosui until it is desired to use the cell, whereupon said liquid may be poured into the open space (1, and permitted to percolate through the contents of the cell in the same manner as already described, and accordingly it will be ulnlcrstood that I have used the word water herein in the sense merely of a moistLire-producing vehicle or energizer able of nnirirn with and rendering active the previously-dry constituents within the pervious walls of the cell.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desireto scan-e by Letters Patent, is

l As an article of manufacture, a cell, con-' taining a central electrode, having all'the actwo ingredients mcludmg a dry excitant mixed together and packed around and in contact with said central electrode, said ingredients being maintained in an absolutely dry condition as long as the cell is not being used, said cell" containing dry absorbent direct superficial contact therewith for absorbing from the latter any extraneous moisture and maintaining said ingredients in their said normally dry condition.

2. As an article of manufacture, a cell, comprising a central electrode and a cupelectrode separated therefrom and partial y filled with all the remaining active cell ingredients, including excitant material, all mixed together in operative relation to act upon each other at all points-throughout the mixture, said ingredients being packed dry in peripheral contact with said central electrode and maintained in an absolutely dry condition, insulating material separating said ingredients entirely from the walls of said cup, a portion of said insulating material being of an absorbent nature and maintained dry, and a permanent impervious closure for said ingredients perforated to admit water when it is desired to use the cell.

3. As an article of manufacture, a cell, comprising opposite electrodes, and intervening active material, having all its active ingredients including the eXcitant substances mixed together and packed and maintained in an absolutely dry condition, an imperforate layer of absorbent material tightly sealing the outer end of said packed ingredients, and a superimposed, hard, impervious protector provided with means permitting the introduction of water at the time of use of the cell without. disturbing the inclosed ingredients.

4. As an article of manufacture, a cell, having its ingredients packed in absolutely dry condition, and normally maintained dry, and means for maintaining the same dry including a dry, porous, vertical wall entirely surtightly closing the outer end of said ingredients, and a tight-fitting protector above said disk having openings therethrough for permitting the entrance of water for rendering the cell active.

lutely dry condition, means surrounding said ingredients for normally maintaining them dry as long as the cell is not used, the upper end of the cell having a large open space, and the ingredients and their inelosing top layers tern'iinating sulliciently below the top of the cell to provide said large open space, and means at the bottom of said open space and the top of said ingredients for permitting the entrance of water from the bottom of said space when desired.

6. As an article of manufacture, a cell,

5. As an article of manufacture, a cell, hav- Ing its ingredients packed therein in an absomeans surrounding said dry ingredients in 1 rounding said ingredients, a dry porous disk melly dry, and means for the admission in aamaesq- V j i 8 comprising opposite eleeti'edes mii nt r- In testimony where fi. wI havewsigned iny vening active material, having all its ename to this specification in the. presence of 1 dients including the excitant mixed tog'et er. two Subscribing witnesses. and packed therein in absolutely drycondi- "I ANGELICA 3" tion, enveloping dry absorbent means for maintaining said included ingredients nor- Witnesse''zf LOUISQPQST quantity of a. liquid energizer when desired. I Grm'i. 

